Border wire assembly



Nov. 4, 1969 D- E. GUNLOCK 3,475,770

BORDER WIRE ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 15, 1967 BY Donaz d film/0a? ATTORNEKUnited States Patent 3,475,770 BORDER WIRE ASSEMBLY Donald E. Gunlock,Birmingham, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit,Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 691,007Int. Cl. A47c 7/28, 27/06 US. Cl. -351 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A border wire for supporting a plurality of sinuous springmembers in a seat assembly. The border wire includes a pair of generallyU-shaped wire elements, each of which has the legs thereof terminatingwith a hookshaped portion. Each leg also has an offset portion formedintermediate the ends thereof and the arrangement is such that thehook-shaped portion on each wire element is looped through the offsetportion formed in the legs of the other wire element so as to lock thewire elements together in the form of a rectangle.

The load-bearing spring assembly of a conventional seat back or seatcushion includes a plurality of zigzag or sinuous spring wire membersattached to a border wire. The border wire consists of two generallyU-shaped wires, the free ends of which are joined together by sheetmetal clips so as to form a rectangular structure. Adjacent each side ofthe border wire a filler wire element is usually provided which is alsoclamped to the border wire and at times to the spring members byadditional sheet metal clips. Although this method of constructing theborder wire has provided a satisfactory and durable spring assembly, itis apparent that savings in cost and time of assembly could be realizedby eliminating the need for the sheet metal clips utilized forconnecting the individual wire elements together.

Accordingly, the objects of the present invention are to provide amethod for attaching the ends of a two-piece border wire that willfacilitate assembly thereof and decrease the cost of manufacture; toprovide a border wire subassembly for a seat spring structure that isformed from two generally U-shaped wire elements, the ends of which areintertwined to provide a rigid structure; to provide a rectangularborder wire made from two separate wire elements that are held togetherwithout the use of auxiliary fasteners, and to provide a two-pieceborder wire that has an integrally formed filler wire section locatedalong the opposed sides of the border wire.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be moreapparent from the following detailed description when taken with thedrawing in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a seat assembly incorporating a border wire made inaccordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an elevation view showing the border wire incorporated withthe seat assembly of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the border wire of FIGURE 2 taken on line 3-3of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of one side of the border wire andillustrates the manner in which the wire elements are locked together,and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view showing the method of connecting the endof one wire element to the other wire element.

Referring to the drawing and more particularly FIGURE 1 thereof, aconventional bench-type vehicle seat is shown having the usual seatcushion and seat back 12, the latter of which incorporates a border wirePatented Nov. 4, 1969 14 made in accordance with the invention. In thisconnection, it will be noted that the border wire 14 comprises a pair ofgenerally U-shaped wire elements 16 and 18 which overlap each other andare intertwined so as to lock the two wire elements together in the formof a rectangle. A plurality or zigzag or sinuous spring members 20extend between the upper and lower portions of the border wire and serveas the usual load-bearing members which resiliently cushion the backportion of a seat occupant. At this juncture, it should be noted thatalthough the border wire made according to the invention and to bedescribed below, is shown to be incorporated with the seat back portionof a seat assembly, it can also be utilized with the spring assembly ofthe seat cushion.

As seen in FIGURES 2 and 3, the wire element 16 of the border wireassembly includes a straight horizontal base portion 22 integrallyformed with a pair of identical legs 24 which extend in the samedirection from the base portion 22 and at an angle substantially normalthereto. The base portion 22 and legs 24 lie in the same plane with eachof the legs terminating with a hook-shaped portion 26. Each leg 24 has agenerally straight section 28, as viewed in FIGURE 2, adjacent to thebase portion 22 that merges with an inwardly directed section 30 which,in the case, is one part of a filler element. The section 30 connectswith a downwardly extending straight section 32 which is then bentoutwardly and has sections 34 and 36 which connect with the hook-shapedportion 26. As best seen in FIGURE 3, an offset portion 38 is providedin section 28 substantially midway between the base portion 22 and thesection 30 with the offset portion 38 lying in a plane which issubstantially perpendicular to the plane of the wire element 16.

The wire element 18 also includes a pair of identically formed legs 40which extend in the same direction and together with a base portion 42lie in a common plane. Each leg 40 has a generally straight section 44merging with a section 46 which is laterally inwardly offset and mergeswith hook-shaped portion 48 at the end of the leg. An offset portion 50is also formed in each leg adjacent to the base portion 42 and lies in aplane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the wire element 18 asseen in FIGURE 3.

In assembling the two wire elements 16 and 18 so as to form the borderwire, the hook-shaped end 48 of each leg 40 is first located beneath thesection 30 of the wire element 24 as seen in FIGURE 2. The hook-shapedend 48 is then looped through the offset section 38 formed in the leg 24of wire element 16 to connect the two members together at this point.Thereafter, the hook-shaped portions 26 of legs 24 are placed above legs40 and bent outwardly, as seen in FIGURE 5, and permitted to snap backwith the hook-shaped end 26 passing through the offset portion 50 formedin each leg 40. Thus, as seen in FIGURES 3 and 4, the hook-shaped endsof the respective wire elements 16 and 18 are located in the offsetportions and thereby serve to lock the wire elements together andprevent separation therebetween. Moreover, the sections 30, 3'2, and 34of the wire element 16 serve as a filler section immediately adjacent toa spring member 20 and thereby prevent the usual padding and burlapbacking from dropping within the gap normally provided between the lastspring member and the border wire.

I claim:

1. A border wire for supporting a plurality of sinuous spring members ina seat assembly, said border wire comprising a pair of generallyU-shaped wire elements, each of said wire elements having the legsthereof terminating with a hook-shaped portion, and having an offsetportion formed intermediate the ends of each leg, said hookshapedportion on each wire element being looped through the oifset portionformed in the leg of the other wire element so as to lock the wireelements together in the form of a rectangle.

2. A border wire for sup orting a plurality of sinuous spring members ina seat assembly, said border wire comprising a pair of wire elements,each of said elements having a straight base portion and a leg sectionangularly connected to the base section at each end thereof andextending in the same direction, each of the leg sections terminatingwith a hook-shaped end and having an oifset portion located intermediatethe hook-shaped end and the base section, said hook-shaped end of eachleg on each wire element being looped through the offset portion formedin the leg of the other Wire element so as to lock the wire elementtogether in the form of a rectangle.

3. The border wire of claim 2 wherein said ofl'set portion lies in aplane substantially normal to a plane passing through the base sectionand the legs of one of said wire elements.

4. The border wire of claim 2 wherein said ofi'set portion is locatedadjacent to the base section.

5. The border wire of claim 2 wherein at least one leg of one of thewire elements has a laterally offset straight section between saidoffset portion and said hook-shaped end that serves as a filler element.

6. The border wire of claim 5 wherein said filler section is in the sameplane as the base section and the legs of the wire element.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,151,155 3/1939 Rymland 5--267 X2,560,842 7/1951 Blumensaadt et a1. 5255 X 3,316,568 5/1967 Janapol5-351 CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

